The 5th generation to tend to California’s biggest name vineyards are 1st generation winemakers – thanks to Angels
Nicholas and Marshall are one of four new winemakers nominated for nakedwines.com’s 2019 Rookie of the Year. Cast your vote by following their winemaker page – here.
Brothers, grapegrowers and legacy vineyard owners Nicholas and Marshall Miller were born to make great wine they could call their own. They’re finally doing it thanks to nakedwines.com – but getting there wasn’t as simple as you might think…
They don’t own just any old vineyard either. The brothers run the show and grow the grapes for a pair of quintessential Central Coast vineyards – Bien Nacido in Santa Maria Valley and French Camp in the Paso Robles Highlands – two of the biggest vineyard names in California wine.
In fact, they’re the latest in a long line of family farmers who’ve been working in California since 1871.
That makes them the 5th generation to farm in the Golden State and the latest to tend to those famous vineyards their dad Steve and uncle Bob planted.
The only thing is, owning a pair of classic California vineyards means lots of people want those grapes, and somebody has to grow them…
So the brothers were asked to put their energies into the growing side of things, spending endless hours and seasons making sure these were the best grapes imaginable for other people to make wine from… until now.
Starting this year, Nicholas and Marshall are finally fulfilling their shared winemaking dream and taking the grapes they truly know better than anyone all the way from vine to wine – exclusively for nakedwines.com.
So far they’re four wines deep into their winemaking dreams, but the brothers have been building momentum with the “Angels” of nakedwines.com, earning over 2,500 followers on the site in just a few short months.
“Marshall and I have been so inspired working with nakedwines.com and getting to interact directly with the Angel community,” Nicholas said. “It has empowered us to take our vineyard practices and winemaking to the next level.”
That next-level winemaking shows in wines like their Chardonnay made with grapes from a cool pocket of sunny Santa Barbara. For this wine, the brothers used a unique unoaked style to bring out crisp fruit flavors not usually found in classic California Chardonnays.
Beyond helping them finally use their own grapes, Angel funding gives the brothers opportunities work with new grapegrowers and vineyards they admire.
But perhaps the crème de la crème of the brothers’ wines so far is an Old World blend straight from their famed French Camp vineyard. Rustic and Italian-inspired with rich dark berry flavors, this refined red is the perfect example of what only Nicholas and Marshall know how to get out of their family vineyards.
“The results of this labor of love has been evident in the wines we have made and in the feedback from the Angels,” Nicholas added. “We love the support and really appreciate the Angels who take the time to give us feedback on our wines!”
– Nicholas Miller
With even more wines in the works, and now in the running for Rookie(s) of the Year, these brothers are definitely a pair to watch.
Follow Nicholas and Marshall to discover the new Central Coast wines up their sleeves!